ABSTRACT

THE ONLY bony connection between the upper limb and the axial skeleton is the small sternoclavicular joint (4.1, 5.2). The other connections are muscular, mainly pectoralis major at the front, serratus anterior at the side, and trapezius and latissimus dorsi at the back (4.2, 4.3). This accounts for the great mobility of the shoulder girdle (clavicle and scapula) compared with the hip girdle (p. 25). Small gliding and rotatory movements take place at the clavicular joints to accompany scapular movements against the chest wall.